The idea for this blog comes from "A Companion for Owls" by Maurice Manning, a book written in the voice of American pioneer Daniel Boone. I asked my friend to send it to me (thanks Becky!) for the sole purpose of referencing a short inventory titled "Small Possessions I Prize." My own inventory is nowhere near as quaint as his ("porcupine quill, stained purple; stone blade from the Indians; buffalo vertebrae"), but I still think it is illustrative of a time, a place, a lifestyle.
- sahafa (woven, circular mat), used at least three times a day for winnowing and sifting rice, cutting vegetables, sorting beans
- small red notebook for writing down Malagasy words I've learned
- two five-gallon buckets, which hold the entirety of my daily water usage for washing, bathing, drinking, etc (average daily water consumption is 69.3 gallons in the US, but things change when you have to haul it yourself)
- buck knife from the states; knives here are cheap and flimsy
- tsihy (woven mat), placed on the floor of my house or in my front yard; must sit on one when you eat, must be barefoot
- handmade ceramic mug my Malagasy family gave me at the end of home stay
- a big, sturdy spoon, the only utensil I eat with anymore (yes, I even use a spoon to eat fish with bones)
- battery-powered speakers, so when the electricity goes out, I can still have a private dance party in my hut
- letters from friends, to be read and savoured again and again
